


the just-talking

by paintedstudy



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gen, Ice Cream, Sexuality Crisis, a little flirting, blink-and-you-miss-it angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 11:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15291012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paintedstudy/pseuds/paintedstudy
Summary: they go get ice cream and talk about gay shit. not much more to say





	the just-talking

**Author's Note:**

> ay first fanfic hell yea

“Wanna go out of town somewhere?”

Eli shushed him, hovering a finger in front of Steve’s lips and everything. Steve pushed it away gently and continued, albeit in a whisper, “Not that a stakeout is boring or anything, but...that’s exactly what it is. Plus, out of town we don’t have to worry about being seen together, and I want ice cream because I’m hot.”

Eli scanned him slowly with a small smirk on his face.

Steve raised his eyebrow in confusion. Eli shook his head. “Nevermind. It was a bad joke anyway. You’re right, though,” he added before Steve could press further, “creeper hideout or not, this isn’t getting us anywhere.”

The brunet took his glasses off and set them aside, then grabbed his water bottle and poured the contents into his hands.

It took Steve a moment to realise he was washing his face of its paint, and it took him even longer to register Eli holding the water bottle out for him to do the same.

As Steve was rubbing at his cheeks, Eli cleaned his glasses with the fabric of his shirt, lifting it up just enough to reveal a small strip of skin.

Steve almost flinched when he found himself staring.

“All good?” Eli asked once he was handed back his water bottle.

“Yeah, just…” Steve used his thumb to brush the remaining paint off Eli’s face. 

Since Steve had become friends with Eli, touching him felt strange. He supposed it was because he wasn’t used to being gentle with him. He pulled his hand away quickly. “There we go.”

He began walking towards his Vespa. Eli caught him up a moment later.

Steve didn’t remember much about the journey, just the weight of Eli’s hands on his shoulders and the sweat on his own palms.

* * *

They whined about the heat and chattered good-naturedly about nothing in particular while waiting in line, and they agreed to pay separately.

Steve wrinkled his nose at Eli for choosing strawberry, which got him flipped off wordlessly.

When Steve got a vanilla cone, Eli called him a, “Basic bitch,” under his breath.

Steve grinned and replied, “You little shit,” as he put his change in his pocket. “You can’t flip me off for hating your ice cream preference and then tell me how much you hate _my_ preference.”

Eli giggled but didn’t bother replying. Then, for no apparent reason, he burst out laughing again.

“The fuck is so funny?”

Eli sighed with a smile on his face. “You wouldn’t get it. At least...I don't think you would. Ah, I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

Steve snorted.

They fell into a silence bordering on the edge of uncomfortable. Eli didn’t seem to mind, but this was the most they’d spoken about non-creepslaying stuff in days, and Steve...liked this. The just-talking.

“Did you know that I’ve never had a proper girlfriend?”

Eli looked at him to see if he was kidding. “No way.”

“Mmm-hmm. I’ve taken girls on dates and stuff, but it’s never clicked, y’know?” Steve paused to bite into the cone of his ice cream. “Claire’s the closest I’ve come to dating someone and she was never even into me.”

“Damn.” Eli’s smile was teasing. “I mean, I guess I never believed it when you bragged about all the girls you’ve had, but this is a whole new level.”

“Rude. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Nah, I won’t. I get it. Better to date no one than to date someone you’ll end up hating,” Eli cocked his head to the side and met Steve’s eyes, “which is what I did.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, now you _really_ can’t tell anyone. Who knew Eli Pepperjack got more action than me?”

Eli rolled his eyes as the corners of his mouth tugged upwards. “Barely. Come to think of it, I haven’t actually had ice cream since my last boyfriend broke up with me.”

Steve didn’t process his words immediately. Then, “What?”

“ _Only_ boyfriend,” Eli conceded.

Steve shook his head quickly. “No, like... _you’re gay?_ ”

“Yeah, I,” Eli giggled, then saw the sincerity of Steve’s confusion. “You seriously didn’t know?”

“No!” Steve felt blood rushing to his face. “You never mentioned it, why would I?”

Eli shrugged and gestured to himself. “Because I dress like _this?_ Your friends call me gay all the time!”

Steve folded his arms in an effort to stave off some of the awkwardness he was feeling. “They’re not my friends-”

“Whatever.”

“-And they call everyone gay.” _They call_ me _gay_. “Plus I swear there’s no such thing as ‘dressing gay’.” He used air quotes quickly and re-crossed his arms.

Eli see-sawed his hand. “Eh.”

“Anyway. I really didn’t know.”

Eli shrugged dismissively.

“So...who is this evil ex of yours?”

Eli sighed, but there was a playful smirk on his lips. “Well, Scott Pilgrim, he was an asshole, to put it plainly.” He paused to glance at Steve. “He had a nice butt though, so I put up with it.”

That got a laugh out of the blond. “An ass with a good ass.”

“Yeah! And he only broke up with me when I moved, so I guess he liked me at least a little bit.” Judging by the look on Eli’s face, he had regretted turning the conversation down this path as soon as the words left his mouth.

Steve touched the other teen’s shoulder, gentle but firm. “You’re pretty likeable, nerd.”

Heat rose in his cheeks.

Eli shook his head. “Hey, who cares? It was a freshman year relationship.” He took Steve’s hand and wrapped it around his shoulders. “Everyone knows the real love of my life is creepslaying.”

A warm smile made its way onto Steve’s lips.

* * *

“How did you know that you’re gay?”

Eli looked up from the book he was holding. Once they had gotten back, Eli had insisted that he had work to do and that Steve could only stay a little while longer.

That had been an hour ago.

Eli shrugged. “I always had crushes on guys and never on girls. ‘S not that deep.”

“Okay, but…” Steve gestured vaguely. “How did you know when you had a crush on a guy?”

Eli blinked. 

He run the words over in his brain a couple times to make sure he heard correctly.

His heart was in his mouth. The logical explanation for Steve’s mini crisis was obvious enough, but it confused Eli nonetheless.

“Do you -” Eli started, but cut himself off and reconsidered his words. There had been tension and hesitance in Steve’s voice when he had asked both of his questions. Eli doubted Steve would take kindly to the notion in his mind being spoken aloud by someone else and, if Eli’s assumption was right, the very thought of what Steve wanted to know was terrifying to him.

The blond was still expecting an answer, though.

Eli watched him closely. “Nowadays I know really quickly if I like a guy. But I’ve had crushes that existed long before I knew they were crushes. They’re really fucking annoying,” Eli laughed, “because for weeks I would be super frustrated by this one person, notice too many things about him, and seek out his company even without realising I was doing it.

“Those kinds of crushes sneak up on you and, eventually, slap you right across the face.” Eli swallowed. Steve hadn’t broken his intense eye contact the entire time the brunet had been speaking.

He looked away now, however. Down, to be precise, and he seemed locked in his thoughts.

Eli searched for more words to say but decided to leave him to it.

Moments later Steve spoke up, “I think I’ve had that. Those sorts of crushes, I mean. Before.”

Eli waited a beat for him to elaborate, then did a half-bow in his seat. “Glad to be of assistance,” he said teasingly.

Steve snorted. “I should probably go,” he said as he got up and stretched.

As he walked past Eli, Steve ruffled the brunet’s hair. “Hey!” Eli complained, a grin on his lips.

Steve’s laughed carried down the hall as he left.


End file.
